HIV Spread Among Women Than Men – AIDS Commission

 Statistics available indicate that, the number of women who contract Human Immunodeficiency Virus, also called HIV are more than men in the Volta Region.

According to the data, 65.52 per cent are women, while young people (15–24), accounted for 27.5 per cent of new infections last year.

The figure includes 230 adult males, 468 adult females, 214 young people, and 80 children in the 0–14 age group.

The Technical Coordinator of the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC) Technical Support Unit in the Volta Region, Mary Naa Asheley Anyomi, who disclosed this at the 2024 second quarter coordination meeting of the commission in Ho, said 57.1 per cent of PLHIV in the region were receiving antiretroviral treatment (ART).

Mrs. Anyomi said Central Tongu and North Tongu districts, and Ketu North and Ketu South municipalities contributed 42.03 per cent of the total number of infections.

Also, nine areas, including Kpando, Ho, Ketu North, South Dayi, Central Tongu, North Dayi, Keta, Ho West and North Tongu had prevalence higher that the regional rate of 1.35 per cent, she added.

The technical coordinator said nine out of the 18 districts and municipalities had less than 49 per cent of ART coverage, while the target was 95 per cent.

“In addition, only three districts had the highest ART coverage of more than 70 per cent, but less than 80 per cent,” she said.

Touching on the way forward, Mrs. Anyomi said there was the need to continue utilising the mass media, including community information centres, to disseminate accurate information on HIV prevention, transmission and treatment.

She said it was also important to make use of health clubs at basic, senior high and tertiary institutions for that purpose.

The Volta Regional Minister, Dr Archibald Yao Letsa, advised members of the public to eschew reckless sexual conducts, saying HIV was real.

He entreated all and sundry to avoid binge drinking and narcotics abuse which could make them lose their guard and indulge in indiscriminate and unsafe sex.

The minister said it was everyone’s responsibility to stand firm and help address the HIV situation by living responsible lifestyles.

More Babies Infected

Meanwhile, the National Aids Control Programme has also raised an alarming issue of an increase in HIV mother-to-child infections despite the implementation of the Prevention of Mother To Child Transmission (PMTCT).

Dr Stephen Ayisi-Addo, Programme Manager of the National Aids Control Programme (NACP), said the situation was due to a lack of testing and adherence to medication by pregnant women, hence the continuous infection from mothers to their babies.

He noted that a lot of the babies contracting HIV from their mothers were babies from mothers who missed testing during ANC, saying, “We are talking covering about 90 per cent of all ANC attendance for HIV testing, so those who come in late do not get the treatment to prevent the mother from transmission to the baby.

“We need to be able to improve the ANC testing coverage. We need to improve so that people will have supervised delivery on their routine services offered when pregnant women come to the facility,” he added.

The Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) is one of the interventions instituted by NACP, Ghana Aids Commission (GAC) and partners to ensure the prevention of HIV transmission from mothers to their babies.

With the intervention, pregnant women would have to get tested for HIV at an Antenatal care service and those found positive would be put on medication to protect the baby from getting infected.